style.info: Whether you are drinking a traditional strength (5% ABV or lower) or a more contemporary version (6% ABV or higher) Saisons should finish dry with very little sweetness.  Saisons aromas can be quite complex with a fruit and spice mixture reminiscent of barnyards. Typically their flavors will be malt balanced (leaning towards malt instead of hops) but peppery spice flavors from the yeast and the elevated carbonation levels create a beer with medium bitterness and a dry finish.

pairing.suggestion: These beers pair well with all kinds of cheeses because the dry finish and elevated carbonation help to scrub the palate clean after each drink. Saisons will also pair well with salads that are tossed with spicy greens like arugula or light meats such as fish or poultry.  Spice these meats sparingly as the spices in the beer can add another layer of complexity to any dish.

my.favorites: Saisons: Saison Dupont, Hennepin from Ommegang, Saison Rue from The Bruery

geeky.info:  Saisons originated in the French speaking part of Belgium called Wallonia.  Historically saisons (or seasonal beers) were brewed at the beginning of spring for consumption through the summer months.  These spicy, medium-light body, highly carbonated beers are refreshing and thirst quenching.

General description and suggestion:  Witbiers are one of the oldest beer styles in Europe, nearly 500 years old.  This style would have became another casualty of the lite pale lager invasion if not for the efforts of Pierre Celis who brought the beer style back from the brink of extinction with the popular Hoegaarden.  Since then witbiers have become popular in the US with many brewpubs and microbreweries because they are a pale lager substitute in brewpubs that many “Budmilloors”  drinkers can tolerate.  However, expertly crafted witbiers are a thing of complex beauty to behold and drink.

Witbiers should pour a pale straw color and depending on how long it has been in the bottle or how it is poured it may be quite cloudy.  A common misconception is that the yeast causes this cloudiness and while there is some yeast in suspension the majority of the cloudiness is caused by wheat starch.  These will also pour with a thick, frothy head.

Witbiers are a medium-light bodied beer with light sweetness – reminds me of a delicate honey.  The beer’s sweetness is usually balanced by spices (generally coriander but others may be used), dried bitter orange peal as well as earthy spicy flavors produced by the yeast and hops.  Did you notice the bitter orange peal?  Orange-citrus flavoring has already been added to the beer, with careful consideration to the beer’s balance I might add, so there is no reason for that orange or lemon wedge on the rim of your glass.  Unfortunately these wedges have become standard accompaniments for witbiers thanks to advertising campaigns by Shocktop and Blue Moon. In fact, if you squeeze that citrus wedge into your beer it not only knocks the beer out of balance but it also kills that beautiful head.  So be sure to order your next witbier, “NFO” or “NFL” (No “effing” Orange or Lemon)!

General description and suggestion:  Winter warmers are meant to do just that, warm you up! These full-bodied beers will often have pronounced caramel or molasses-like aromas and flavors as well as a warming alcohol presence.  These beers also have a wide range of alcohol presence so be sure to check out the ABV before you pour yourself  big ole pint.

Often times Winter Warmers or Holiday Ales, as they are sometimes called, are brewed with special spices such as clove or cinnamon.  These spices can make them a perfect for pairing with holiday deserts such as pumpkin pie. If you don’t see a description on the packaging look at the brewery website or BeerAdvocate.com for ingredients or taste descriptions.

Beer: Ruthless Rye IPA (6.6%)
Brewery: Sierra Nevada
Style: American IPA
Serving: Pint Glass or Mug @ 45°- 50° 

General American IPA Style Description: 
Aroma: Think citrus (grapefruit), resinous pine, or even tropical fruit. There may be a slight sweetness present from the malt but the hop aromas will most likely cover up those aromas.

Appearance: Colors will vary from medium gold to a reddish copper but they will all be clear unless they have been dry hopped and then there may be a slight haze.  Because the malt used in this style has very little dark color the head will be white to off-white and should persist.

Flavor: IPA’s are all about the hops (bitterness, flavor and aroma) and so there will be medium to high amount of hop flavor and bitterness that will reflect the American hop citrus qualities (citrusy, floral, resinous, pine).  Malt flavor will be low to showcase all the hop characteristics in and an American IPA.

Mouthfeel: You can expect a medium body with a pleasing mouth puckering bitterness (think grapefruit) that helps to dry the beer out and creates a thirst quenching, refreshing beer.

Other IPA's:  Titan, Furious, Stone IPA, Two Hearted Ale

General Beer Pairing Suggestions:  
Cheese: Pepper Jack. Meat: Fish, smoked salmon. Cuisine: American, Mexican.   

I love IPA’s! They are refreshing when it is hot out and their warming alcohol keeps you warm when it is cold.  These beers pair well with many foods especially savory or sweet foods.  The bitterness and alcohol help cleanse the palate of savory foods like cheeses or fried foods and the bitterness also helps keep the sweet foods in check.  But if you want to spice things up a bit drink an IPA. The bitterness momentarily emphasizes the spice but the alcohol helps to refresh the palate just like a tortilla chip. 

Specific Beer Description: 
Ruthless Rye IPA pours a crystal clear copper with a cascade of tiny carbonation bubbles rising from the etching in the bottom of my glass.  The pillowy, off-white head has staying power with some decent lacing on the side of the glass.  Lemon peal, pine and earthy hop aromas (a mouth watering combination) ready your palate for what's to come. Ruthless Rye's crisp hop bitterness gives way to a wonderfully smooth earthy hop flavor. However, the caramel-like malt sweetness and the rye malt spiciness balance the bitterness before it can become to intense. The malts then morph, what could be an over the top aggressive, hop bitterness into a smooth and refreshing grapefruity flavor. 

My overall opinion is that you should try this beer!  Ruthless Rye doesn't have the one-sided bitterness that turns so many people away from trying other IPA's. The mix of spice and citrus hop flavors make this beer an awesome partner for salads that include bitter greens or citrus.

Specific Beer Pairing Suggestions: Frise'e, Avocado, and Grapefruit Salad

This pairing works for several reasons.  First, the hop bitterness and flavor resonate in the bitter frise'e  which is tossed in a citrus balsamic vinegar.  The earthy flavors of the shallots and avocado as well as the cracked pepper resonate with the rye spiciness.  You may find it hard to tell where the salad ends and the beer starts, except for the crunchy parts:-)  

There are some contrasting components, and this is where this pairing really shines. The caramel-like sweetness helps to take the bitter edge off the frise'e while seamlessly resonating with the citrus vinaigrette and grapefruit. Last but not least, the alcohol and the carbonation help cleanse the vinaigrette and savory avocado off the palate as you swallow.  A crisp and refreshing way to cleanse the palate before your next bite.

Image courtesy of FineCooking.com
Click image to view recipe.

Beer: Avec Les Bons Voeux (9.5%)

Brewery: Brasserie Dupont

Style: Saison/Farmhouse Ale

Serving: Tulip Glass @ 45°- 50° 

General Beer Description: Whether you are drinking a traditional strength (5% ABV or lower) or a more contemporary version (6% ABV or higher) Saisons should finish dry with very little sweetness.  Saison aromas can be quite complex with a fruit and spice mixture reminiscent of barnyards. Typically their flavors will be malt balanced (leaning towards malt instead of hops) but peppery spice flavors from the yeast and the elevated carbonation levels create a beer with medium bitterness and a dry finish.

These beers pair well with all kinds of cheeses because the dry finish and elevated carbonation help to scrub the palate clean after each drink. Saisons will also pair well with salads that are tossed with spicy greens like arugula or light meats such as fish or poultry.  Spice these meats sparingly as the spices in the beer can add another layer of complexity to any dish.

General Food Pairing Suggestions: Cuisine: Salads. Cheese: Earthy or Nutty. Meat: poultry and fish.

Photo courtesy of FineCooking.com

Specific Food Pairing Suggestion: Sautéed sweet potatoes with orange-mint germolata.  

Click HERE for the FineCooking.com recipe I used to pair with this beer.  Avec Les Bons Voeux, and saisons in general, are excellent pairings with this dish.  The toasted pecans, garlic and herbs resonate with the barnyard-like aromas and yeasty spice flavors found in saisons while the pepper accentuates the dryness which increases the refreshing qualities of the beer.  But the goodness doesn’t stop there, oh no!  The orange zest adds another layer of complexity that pairs well with smooth wheat flavors (think Blue Moon with the lemon wedge) and takes the edge off the spicy yeast flavors. But the beer has the last stand as the alcohol and the elevated carbonation scrub your palate and get you ready to start this adventure all over again.

I just learned that the “S” and “B” word used together are trademarked and shouldn’t be mentioned together or in conjunction with each other unless I wanted a cease and desist order.  Oooops! So I am going to refer to the biggest football game the NFL plays each year, you know the one I am talking about, the one that is so SUPER big that it can’t possibly live up to the hype and that most of the people watching the game are only interested in what kind of dip is in that BOWL and the commercials that air during TV breaks, as The Big Game.

Make this year really special for all of your friends that are coming over to watch… “The Big Game” and don’t serve any light beers! You know the ones I am talking about. Instead try some of the pairings below and start exploring how flavorful beers can intensify, complement or even subdue flavors in your halftime snacks.

New England Cuisine Pairings:

Oysters: Dry Stouts: The intense roasty flavors (coffee, bitter chocolate) in these stouts can briefly intensify the saline, sea tastes in the oysters while the subtle chocolate flavors and perceived bitterness cleanses the palate.  Examples: Guinness Draught, Beamish Stout, Oyster stouts are a double whammy (Rogue, Dogfish Head)

Mussels: Witbiers:  The mild wheat and subtle spice and/or citrus flavors can complement the mussels especially if they were steamed in that particular beer. The beer’s flavors won’t cover up and of the mussel flavors, however, the elevated carbonation and dry finish will cleanse the palate.  Examples: Hoegaarden, Allagash White, Avery White Rascal, Unibroue Blanche de Chambly.

Dunkin’ Donuts: Chocolate Frosting Glazed: Milk/Oatmeal Stouts, Brown Porters.  The sweet chocolaty flavors and velvet textures found in these beers are perfect matches for donuts with or without chocolate frosting but why would you want to eat a donut with out chocolate frosting?  Examples: Sam Adams Cram Stout, Left Hand Milk Stout, Young’s Oatmeal Stout, Fullers Porter.

Click the audio player below to listen to my New England Patriots halftime paring segement on Bo’s Man Cave! (link will open to a file on HopHeadSaid.com)

New York Cuisine:

Pizza: American Pale, Amber or Brown Ales: Any of these beers will have elevated hops, alcohol and carbonation which will help cleanse the palate.  Also, all of these beers use a similar base malt and that malt imparts a toasty flavor that will resonate with the pizza crust. If the pizza is especially savory (lots of cheese) go with a pale ale.  If the pizza has caramelized toppings then try an Amber because the malt used will resonate with those flavors as well as provide a residual sweetness.  If the pizza has meat (every pizza should) then go for a brown ale as the grilled meats will resonate with the darker malts used in brewing.  Examples: Pale Ales (Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Stone Pale Ale, Full Sail Pale Ale) Amber Ales (North Coast Read seal Ale, Anderson Valley Boont Amber), Brown Ales (Big Sky Moose Drool, Lost Coast Downtown Brown)

Bagels and Lox: Ideally, pair with Bohemian Pilseners sometimes called BoPils but any quality pilsner will do.  Do not get these confused with the Bud, Miller or Coors these are American style lagers.  The malt used in brewing a pilsner will has a soft grainy flavor that will resonate with the bagel while the spicy hop flavor will add a new layer of intrigue to the salmon.  The crisp dry finish will cleanse the palate of the cream cheese and the prominent salmon flavors.  Examples: Pilsner Urquell,

Cheesecake:  Pair BIG beers with this desert! These pairings will blow your calorie allotment for the week so throw your calorie caution to the wind or go home! Pair Imperial IPA’s with caramel or candied toppings.  The malt used in these sweet IPAs will resonate with the caramel. Pair Imperial Stouts with chocolate or dark fruits toppings or fillings. The chocolaty/coffee flavors in these beers will resonate with these fillings beautifully.  Examples: Imperial IPA’s: Firestone Walker Double Jack, Great Divide Hercules, Moylan’s Hopsickle.  Imperial Stouts: Great Divide Yeti, Avery The Czar, Oskar Blues TenFiddy.\

Click HERE to listen to my New York Giants halftime paring segement on Bo’s Man Cave! 

Beer: Koko Brown (5.5%)

Brewery: Kona Brewing Company

Style: American Brown

Serving: Pint Glass 40°- 45° 

General Beer Description: American Brown Ales are different from their English counterparts in that they use American ingredients and brewing practices, which in return produce more assertive flavors.  American Brown ales can have a wide range of bitterness but generally they have a noticeable but balanced bitterness that is accentuated by a clean fermentation (none to low fruity flavors) and an elevated carbonation.  American Brown Ales can also have a pronounced nutty, toasty, caramel and/or chocolate flavor.

General Food Pairing Suggestions: Cuisine: Barbecue. Cheese: Earthy or Nutty. Meat: beef. Dessert: Chocolate.

Specific Food Pairing Suggestion: Butternut Squash, goat cheese, sage lasagna

Photo courtesy of FineCooking.com

http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/butternut-squash-lasagne-goat-cheese-sage-breadcrumbs.aspx

This is another great recipe I found in Fine Cooking Magazine for that butternut squash that has been waiting patiently on your countertop. Koko Brown is a unique pairing for this dish because brown ales are usually paired with meat or desert dishes to accentuate toasty or chocolaty flavors. But those toasty and sweet flavors can also be found in this lasagna and that is why this beer pairs so well with this dish.

The sweetness of the butternut squash resonates with the sweet malt and coconut flavors. The toasted coconut (a unique beer ingredient to say the least) used in this beer complements the sweet roasted squash flavors and blends with the butternut squash sweetness to create a brand new flavor combination that is magical.

The “American” part (hops and carbonation) of this brown ale does its part to keep this dish from becoming too sweet or too savory.   The hop bitterness counteracts the sweetness while the carbonation helps to cleanse the palate. If either of these two aspects were subtler then the pairing would be too sweet.

Variations: I didn’t make the fresh pasta (that is just ridiculous;-) but I did use the thin style lasagna noodles.  Also, I didn’t boil the noodles first, there is plenty of sauce to cover the whole dish and bake it until the noodles become soft.  You may want to cover the dish with foil for the first 30-45 minutes but then take the foil off for the last 15 minutes to brown the cheese and re-toast the breadcrumbs on top.

I know this recipe isn’t light by any standards but you may want to try combine this similar lighter recipe from CookingLight.com.  It had a number of substitutions, some I thought would be outstanding from a taste point of view as well as aesthetically.  I would suggest that if you do combine the recipes you blend the squash instead of leaving it cubed as that enables you to make many thin layers of noodles and sauce.

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/spinach-butternut-squash-lasagna-10000001559243/

If you make any lighter variations please share your experiences below in the comments.